In the tissue business, product design has traditionally been an exercise in balancing softness against tensile strength. In order to induce a softness sensation when touched by the user, conventional tissue makers have tended to adopt a layered sheet structure having weakened outer layers. Chemical softening agents and/or different fiber types are often incorporated into the outer layers to further enhance the softness perception. Consequently, the mechanical integrity of the tissue is primarily provided by a relatively strong center layer. This practice produces a tissue with a superior surface feel that is often described as fuzzy, velvety, silky, flannelly and/or lotiony. Unfortunately, this practice also leads to a substantial increase in surface lint and slough. In addition, increasing the softness by this method negatively impacts the strength of the tissue. A weak tissue exhibiting surface lint and slough during use and/or which easily tears or which has low poke-through resistance will be perceived as less durable. To counter this perception, the traditional approach has been to increase the sheet tensile strength. Unfortunately, this practice increases the stiffness of the sheet by also increasing the bending resistance. A stiff tissue will be perceived as tough and harsh, which is particularly undesirable for a bath tissue.
In order to obtain a tissue having low stiffness with high strength, many tissue makers will produce a tissue product having two or three plies. In such multi-ply tissues, the amount of fiber on a per-ply basis is reduced as compared to that of a single-ply tissue having a similar or slightly lower basis weight. In general, a tissue sheet having a lower basis weight will bend more easily than a tissue with a higher basis weight with the same thickness, resulting in greater conformability in the user's hand. Consequently, a multi-ply tissue is generally seen as being-more conformable and having greater softness, while also being perceived as more durable.
Therefore there is a need for a softer, more durable single-ply tissue sheet especially useful for single-ply tissue products.